Cooking apparatus



May 10, 1949. A. T. FOSTER COOKING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1948 INVENTOR.

. CZZZelz Z'Fosier BY M ,flm flw af Clilor'zzeys Patented May 10, 1949 um TED :5 TA TE 5 o Fries :GOOKING APPARA'IZUS Allen ,T. Foster, Chicago, Ill.

Appl-icatiomFebruary 27, 13948, 'Serial'No. 1:1;539

( Cl..9v9r3 '14) 6 ;,Claims.

This invention relates .:to improvements in cooking apparatus.

aQne-r'object of the'invention is to provide an Amprcved multiple platen \cooking apparatus such iasa -waflie lironqor the like having a base .platen .and two Iswingable platens superimposed upon the base platen providing two cooking or baking areas or spaces, and having means which tenable Ythe -opening and closing vmovements of 40.118101 the-swingable platens toxbe controlled by lthe manual movement-of :the other swingable gplaten.

-:'A-.more specific -;.object of the invention is to 'gprovide an improved wafile iron or like cooking iutensil having arbaseqplaten zandan upper and ;an intermediate ;-p1aten in superposed relation swingablyrmounted on the "base platen and ar- .,ranged forcooperation whereby. theuupper platen scan .bevswung manually independentlyof the intermediate platen =-to "a ;,given open position 1' .wherein the supper ,platen. is retained :in'said open position -:or, whereby the ..upper platen can .be z-moved to --Y a second, more remote :open position .duringzwhichx it: entrainsthe; intermediate platens for :moving the latter ,to an open position, ,in which open; positionsthe twmplatens are retained by gravity.

Other objects of the-invention relate .to the provision :of ;an .overfloW- trough common to :the .p1atens and to various features of construction ean-d arrangement oft-parts which will be apparent tfrom theuconsideration :of the following specifitcation and: accompanying :drawings, wherein:

:Fi-gure lvis'anside elevation of cookingapparamus-exemplified. by1;a waflle. iron which .is illustra- .tive (of the present improvements;

vEignz isza; side elevation of.the improved waflle riron showing the upper platen swung to anopen gzposition. in which it is sustained by i cooperation twithwthe intermediate platen;

-:,Fig. :3 is ;-.a:-si'de-ielevation of .the improved apparatus-showing the uppercand' the-intermediate platens in-open positions wherein the intermeidiate-platen, is sustainediby the upper platen;

Fig-v4:isianenlarged-broken end elevation of ithe-iimprovediwafile iron looking. in the direction 0f aBlI-1OWS 4-4 of Fig. -:1;

Fig.:5 is an:.:enlarged ;broken.side elevation of z-theltop, intermediate :and base :platens at'the thinged gedges .Zthereof, illustrating the preferred formations at said edges by meansiof whichthe platens 'mutuallyi cooperate :during *the opening l'movement thereofiand whilelin the fully opened lgt-pcsitions; .:;and

lid-gemisza-ztopplanrviewmf.;thewa;ffle..iron.

.In "the drawings 0f the waflle iron. selected for illustrating zthe invention, l0 indicates generally a=.-base platen which is shown as being provided (with degs l Land having a .grid or other cooking surface L2. The cooking @surface 12 "mayibe-of -thegrid forrnzconventional in wafile-irons. The iplaten lot-is shown as --being provided with aperiqmetrical trough i3 i w;hich--.-notaonly:catches batter that-overflows :tromgthe grid :12 butwas will ,be pointed .out hereinafter,alikewiseserves to catch .batter which may overflow fromthesuperjacent platen.

Mounted upon :the ;-pla.ten I l-2 is an intermediate :p1atent4, the; lower surface of which comprises a ;grid 5 matin 'with-qthe :grid 2 while the upper surface comprises -=a grid ,:l;'6 which cooperates with {the lower :surface ,of an upper v:platen l1. JIhe -grijd-surfac,e sof the vupper platen is indiicated by the :numeral --l-8.

:I-n:the;embodimentlpf the inventionillustrated, 'ithe intermediate platen I74 isg-pivotally rattached 3110 13118 rbasetplaten J50 while the upper platen I .i-s:pivotally-attached 1120 the intermediate ,platen l4. :Any. appropriate .-pivotal.connecting or-;hinge lmeansemayi-begprovided ;for mounting the mom- .ble 1 platens uponthe :base platen. In the structure disclosed, the base qplaten zlozis shown as rbeing provided with-ears! (one-sat eachside) rhaving vertical slots 20 therein into :which progjectsa :pintle :or; pivot :member. 2 l which isshown ias;b,ei ng integraliwith the lower portion of the :intermediate; platen 1:4. The ,upper 3 platen l I is ?shown as-being pivotallylor-sswingably connected vito .the intermediate platen by :similar hinge means, that is, :a :hingeimember ,22l is provided at :QDDosed sides .of thei-platen I4 1 and ;-each having za=slot13 into whichiprojectsthe pintlev24 extending laterally from the; respective sidestof the platen l1. Other suitable types of hinge-connecitions may be provided-as lwill beeapparent.

The platens arezprovided along the hinged edges ;,-thereof with recuperating formations by ,means of whichthe intermediate platen can be maised .to the-open:position-cshown in Fig. 3 by crmovementof 1the-upper platen manually to the positionashown in said' figurewithout the use of {latches or catches :operatively linking the two matches-together. .i-Fortexample-the upper platen is: shown {with :a.;formation $26 adapted, upon :60 .movement "of the .upper platen :to a given posi- ..tion shown :in Fig. ':.:2.:and designated ,herein as tithe first openpositiomftoxzengage the formation or-tabutment 21 :formed con the gcorresponding edge ml? '.;the {intermediate platen l4. Further e cmovement oi -the upnertplat n;manuallytoward the second or remote open position of the upper platen shown in Fig. 3 entrains the intermediate platen M in its movement and will cause the intermediate platen to assume the position shown in Fig. 3 when the upper platen has been moved to the fully opened or second position shown in said figure. When the two platens have been moved to the positions shown in Fig. 3, the formation 21 of platen l4 will contact the formation 28 of the base platen Hi, the formation 28 being, in the particular embodiment illustrated, the outer portion of the fiange that defines the trough l3.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the upper platen H is in stable relation in that it has been moved slightly beyond the vertical and is sustained in said open position by contact of the member 26 with the member 21. The upper platen is provided with a knob or handle 29 for convenient manual manipulation. If a single wafile only is to be baked, the batter may be placed upon the upper grid It of the intermediate platen it after the upper platen has been moved to the first open position. The upper platen I1 is then manually lowered to the horizontal, closed position, the slot of the hinge enabling the upper platen to adjust itself to the thickness of the batch of batter placed on-the grid for cooking. In the event of any overflow of batter from the grid l4, it will drop into the trough I3 as will be obvious. Should it be desired to cook two waliles simultaneously, the upper platen IT is moved to the remote or second openposition shown in Fig. 3 in which it has closely approached a horizontal position although the angle assumed by the platen in the second position is not critical. During the movement of the platen I! to the position just mentioned, it will have entrained the intermediate platen l4 in its movement as above described and will have moved it to the position thereof shown in Fig. 3; that is, through an arc of slightly less than 90. The platen ll, when in the second open position shown in Fig. 3, will retain the intermediate platen M in its open position illustrated in said figure, that is, the angular disposition of the two platens is such thatplaten I! restrains the platen Hi from gravitational movement to closed position. When thebatter'has been placed upon the grid 52 of the base platen 10, the platen I? is moved manually to the first open position thereof shown in Fig. 2. During such movement, the intermediate platen M will have moved by gravity, under control of the platen ll, until it has assumed the horizontal cooking position shown in Fig. 2. After batter for a second waflie has been placed on the upper grid it of platen It, the upper platen ll is moved manually to the horizontal cooking position shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that the upper platen, when moved to the first open position shown in Fig. 2 is retained in that position by the'abutment member 21 of the horizontal intermediate platen'M. The platen I? cannot move by gravity beyond the position shown in Fig. 2 by reason of the fact that the moment exerted by it is less than the resistance offered by the horizontal platen 14. When the upper platen has been moved manually'to the remote or second op'en 'position shown in Fig.3, the intermediate platen is retained against gravitational closing movement since the moment exerted by it is less than the'resistance offered by the substantially horizontalplaten l'l.- As stated, the angle or repose of the platen I! in the second open position'may be varied, within limits, and

still retain the intermediate plate in open position as described. Contact of the formation 21 with formation 28 prevents movement of the upper platen in a clockwise direction beyond the second open position shown in Fig. 3, in which position it will be spaced from the table for other support upon which the device is resting.

The present device is preferably of the type that is heated electrically and is provided with any suitable heating elements indicated diagrammatically and designated by the numeral 34. A suitable plug receptacle, by means of which the heating elements may be connected to a source of current, is indicated by the numeral 30. The heating elements of the several platens may be connected in parallel by means of flexible insulated conductors 3| and 32. If desired, a heat or bake indicator 33 may be provided on the upper platen ll.

While a wafile iron structure has been selected for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent that the principal of the improvements must be utilized in multiple grid toasters or other cooking devices and hence, I do not wish to be restricted to the particular structure disclosed except as so limited by the appended claims. r

I claim: 1

1. A cooking utensilcomprising a horizonta base platen, an upper platen and an intermediate platen disposed in superposed horizontal relation on the base platen when in closed relation, means pivotally connecting theplatens each to another along one side of the utensil to enable swinging movement of the upper and intermediate platens on horizontal axes to and from the respective closed positions, said upper platen being swingable manually from the horizontal closed position to a first open substantially upright position and from the latter position to approximately a horizontal second open position, and means for supporting the upper platen in said first open position against gravitational movement therefrom and for entraining said intermediate platen for swinging movement from the closed position thereof to an open position upon manual movement of said upper platen from said first open position to the second open position thereof.

2. A cooking utensil comprising a, base platen, an upper platen and an intermediate platen disposed in superposedhorizontal relation when the utensil is closed, means pivotally mounting the upper and intermediate platens upon the base platen to enable swinging movement of the upper and intermediate platens to and from said closed positions, said upper platen being swingable manually from the respective closed position to a first open position and from the latter position to approximately a second open position, and'abutment members on said platens, the abutment members on said upper and intermediate platens cooperating to support said upper platen in said first open position when moved manually thereto and for entraining said intermediate platen for movement to an open position upon manual movement of said upper platen from said first to said second open position, said abutment member of said base platen cooperating with one of the other abutment members for arresting further swinging movement of said upper platen in said second open position.

3. A cooking'utensil comprising a base platen,

an upper platen and an intermediate platen disposed in superposed horizontal relation when the utensil is closed, 1 means pivotally mounting the upper and intermediate platens upon the base platen to enable swinging movement of the upper and intermediate platens to and from said closed positions, said upper platen being swingable manually from the respective closed position to a first open substantially upright position and from the latter to an approximately horizontal second open position, cooperating members on said upper and intermediate platens for supporting said upper platen against ravitational movement beyond said first open position when arrested in said first open position and for entraining said intermediate platen for movement through an arc of less than 90 degrees to an open position upon manual movement of said upper platen from said first open position to said second open position, the angular disposition of said intermediate and upper platens when the latter is in said second open position being such that the upper platen restrains gravitational movement of the intermediate platen to closed position, and means for arresting swinging movement of the upper platen beyond said second open position.

4. A cooking device comprising a base platen, an upper platen and an intermediate platen arranged in superposed horizontal relation upon the base platen when in closed positions and pivotally mounted upon the base platen for swinging movement about axes along one side of the device, the upper platen being manually movable from the horizontal closed relation to a first open substantially upright position and beyond said first open position to a second open position approaching the horizontal, cooperating means on the upper and intermediate platens arranged to be moved into abutting contact upon manual movement of the upper platen to said first open position and to entrain said intermediate platen for swinging movement to an open position removed less than 90 degrees of are from the respective horizontal position thereof upon manual movement of the upper platen from said first open position to said second open position, the relation of said upper and intermediate platens being such that the intermediate platen while in closed position restrains gravitational movement of the upper platen beyond the first open position and the upper platen while in the second open position restrains gravitational movement of the intermediate platen from the respective open position thereof to the closed position thereof.

5. A cooking device comprising a base platen, an intermediate platen and an upper platen hingedly mounted thereon normally in super-' posed horizontal closed relation, said upper and intermediate platens being arranged for swinging movement each about an axis disposed at one side of the device, said upper platen being manually swingable from said horizontal position to a first open position wherein the platen is disposed substantially upright and also swingable manually beyond said first open position to a second open position wherein the platen is disposed substantially at or a few degrees removed from the horizontal, and an abutment member carried by said upper platen and adapted to be moved into contact with the intermediate platen by the swinging movement of the upper platen to said first open position for selectively restraining gravitational movement of the upper platen beyond said first open position or for efiecting the swinging movement of the intermediate platen to and supporting the same in an open position less than degrees of are removed from the respective closed position thereof upon manual movement of the upper platen from the first to the second open position thereof and for controlling the gravitational closing movement of the intermediate platen as the upper platen is moved manually from the second open position to the first open position thereof.

6. In a cooking device comprising a horizontal base platen, an intermediate platen disposed thereon and pivotally attached thereto for swinging movement to an open position disposed less than 90 degrees of arc from the horizontal position thereof whereby said intermediate platen tends to return gravitationally from the open to the horizontal position, an upper platen pivotally attached to said intermediate platen for manual swinging movement to a first open position from which said upper platen tends to swing gravitationally beyond said first open position, and cooperating abutment means on said upper and intermediate platens adapted to contact upon manual movement of the upper platen to said first open position to restrain said upper platen from gravitational movement beyond said first open position and adapted to swing said intermediate platen to the respective open position thereof upon manual swinging movement of said upper platen to a second open position wherein the upper platen is disposed at or a few degrees of are removed from the horizontal and said abutment means being adapted to restrain said intermediate platen from gravitational closing movement to the respective closed positions and to control such closing movement of the intermediate platen upon manual swinging movement of the upper platen from the second to the first open position thereof.

ALLEN T. FOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,754,800 Preston Apr, 15, 1930 1,759,832 Banfi May 27, 1930 1,873,104 Benson Aug. 23, 1932 

